


forever means no more happy endings

by MissCeliaKnight



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Gen, background Kairi/Riku/Sora - Freeform, background Kairi/Sora - Freeform, background Sora/Riku - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-28
Updated: 2019-02-28
Packaged: 2019-11-07 06:06:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,125
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17955029
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissCeliaKnight/pseuds/MissCeliaKnight
Summary: Kairi and Riku have a heart to heart about Sora before she goes off for her training.





	forever means no more happy endings

**Author's Note:**

> Kairi and Riku deserved more interaction and it's a travesty  
> set after 3d, before kh3

They say true love’s kiss can break any spell. Riku had never kissed Sora, never shared a paopu fruit with him, never spoke a direct word of how he felt about him. But still, there were spells broken, worlds that had been torn asunder brought back to the light, memories that were made. Still, there had been sleep, there had been dreams.

He knew there was a bond there that made him rub at his pinky finger when he had no one to talk to, but was thinking of him. He’d be stubborn, unwilling to say it in his jealousy towards Kairi, then he’d forgotten how to say it all together in Castle Oblivion. Being alone for so long was terribly painful.

He grew out of the part of him that was stifled, riddled with anger and jealousy and contempt. He grew into someone just a little more tired, a little more broken, a little more human. He wasn’t perfect, but he liked himself a lot more compared to who he’d been. He liked this version of himself next to Sora. This version was more honest.

This version of himself knew Sora so well that he had thrown himself into Sora’s dreams because he could tell right away something had gone wrong. He had without hesitation become a monster whose purpose was to protect him. The melody that they’d both found pieces of stayed in his head for weeks, the scar, the symbol on his back lingered longer. It hurt the way his wrist did when it rained.

Even when they were awake, it hadn’t changed. Mickey, Kairi, Lea— they could all tell Riku would do anything for him. He knew Kairi could tell how he felt, even without words. They had exchanged a singular look, a glance, an entire book of history and past interactions condensed into a singular exchange.

 _You love him too,_ it had said in a room full of their friends and comrades in the Mysterious Tower. The exchange had been said right in front of Sora. Riku had looked away first, she had given him a smile. Kairi had always been too kind to him for her own good, even when he was awful to her. She had been an obstacle, then a rival, then a friend, someone to confide in, house secrets in.

He did love him. He felt guilty about what he’d done to her because he didn’t know what he was supposed to say. He still didn’t. _What matters, the most important person._ It had gradually changed while he searched for the right words. She was patient with him, letting him borrow her words when they spoke in hushed whispers in empty halls.

The fact that even now, when he had no right to Sora’s heart when he clearly loved Kairi so much didn’t make her upset. She was always agonizingly understanding. She never viewed him as an enemy or obstacle. To Kairi, Riku was always her friend.

“I’m not going to give up on him… but that doesn’t mean you have to either.” She reassured, having pulled him aside into a hallway. “Sora loves us both. There’s little differences, but there’s more similarities than anything. He wants us to be safe, to be happy, to be together. That’s all he’s ever wanted, even when we were kids.”

Sora had been the one to beg Riku to get along with Kairi. Sora had been the one to tell her he wasn’t leaving the island without Riku. Sora had been the one to scour world after world looking for them, their home, their happiness.

“What happens when we finally have all that? What happens where there’s nothing left to do but choose?” Riku couldn’t help it. When he was younger, the question would have been bitter, drowning in self assured confidence that was a lie. But now, it just sounded scared.

“That’s not going to keep either of us away from him, is it?” She reminded with a smile. “I just… feel bad. I feel like we’re forcing this choice onto him.” Riku felt the same. If that was the case, maybe they should never settle down, never go home. If their journey went on forever, it would mean there was no end, no reason for Sora to have to make such a difficult choice that he’d never want to make. Riku would be okay with that. He didn’t feel that it was as selfish as forcing Sora to choose between them. They both knew he had never chosen either and instead always chosen both.

“So are you always going to put yourself in distress so he doesn’t have to pick?” He was teasing her, Kairi swatting at him as he tried to muse her hair.

“Are you?” She countered, standing on her tiptoes to reach up and mess with his hair. He was.

“Well at least we’ll be together then.” He had placed his hands over hers, her expression softening. “Good luck with your training Kai.” She wound her arms around his middle to hug him and he realized he’d forgotten how small she was. She always felt so bold, larger than life.

“...I love you too, you know.” She mumbled against his sternum, squeezing him tight. He squeezed her back, knowing she understood that he still didn’t have the right words for love just yet. He pulled away from her, Kairi holding taking his hand in both of hers. He could tell there was some kind of regret, some kind of apology. Perhaps those were the kind of words she was missing.

“...You and Sora should take a break once I’m done with my training, Mr. Keyblade Master.” Those were the words she had chosen to encompass everything. It wasn’t even her fault, but he understood it. If she and Sora had been out there, handling everything on their own without him… She must have been so frustrated, being home and waiting on them.

“And leave everything to you? Isn’t that just as bad as leaving it to Sora?” He teased, raising an eyebrow at her.

“Hey, I’ll have Lea with me!” She countered, as if that made it better. He laughed harder, Kairi jerking his hand around as she scowled at him like a sugar glider.

“Stick your cool entrance when you come to save us and I’ll think about it.” She spit in her hand and held it out, Riku covering his mouth to hide a wide smile. He did the same, both of them shaking on it. Their trio was made up of almost promises, of nearly misses. But he believed in her and he believed in Sora. He believed it would work out somehow.

They were all infinitely tangled, knotted, tied together.


End file.
